Nissan gives gamers 2020 vision

Virtual supercar created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the legendary Gran Turismo driving game becomes real at Goodwood Festival of Speed

NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo to be presented at Goodwood on June 26

2+2 virtual supercar with advanced aerodynamic body

Four-wheel drive chassis, active suspension

Virtual version available to download in July

GOODWOOD, England – Nissan's vision of a supercar for near future, originally created as the study model among Nissan's young designers and later formulated as a virtual model for the PlayStation® Gran Turismo 6® computer game, has moved from the virtual world to reality.

The full-size concept model will be presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK on June 26 at the Nissan booth.

NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo began life as dream project for young Nissan designers who were given free rein to create the perfect supercar for their own Gran Turismo fantasy garage.

But the design from a team at Nissan Design Europe – based in London, England – was seen to have so much potential that it has benefited from input from an engineering team based in Japan.

Adapting design cues from current Nissan performance models, it was created from scratch using the latest digital design tools: The first – and to date only – physical representation of the car is the actual concept model.

NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo emerged from styling study among Nissan's global pool of young designers. Each team was answering a call from the makers of Gran Turismo 6, who have asked a total of 28 different manufacturers to each create a dream car to celebrate the game's 15th birthday.

Working closely with skilled aerodynamic technicians and engineering teams in Japan to ensure the virtual car performs as realistically as possible, the design is partly shaped by emotion and partly by the wind.

Neat styling touches evoke aspects of Nissan performance models through the ages but present them in a futuristic way.

Although visitors to Goodwood Festival of Speed will see a physical interpretation of the car, the first people to "drive" it will be GT6 gamers. NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, which will be available in ten different shades, will be available to download in July.

"This is in line with the Nissan philosophy," said Koji Nagano, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe. "In reality, not everyone would be able to own a car like NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, but through Gran Turismo anyone can drive it and experience Nissan's promise of delivering innovation that excites."

Will a production version be driven up the Goodwood hill in 2020? That remains to be seen, but a great deal can happen in the near future. And in the meantime, enthusiasts can enjoy its dramatic looks and spectacular virtual performance from the comfort of their armchair.

Nissan and Gran Turismo already enjoy a unique relationship, collaborating on the annual GT Academy program, which takes online gamers through national competitions and trains the winners to become professional racing drivers. Past winners of GT Academy have raced for Nissan in some of the most high profile races in the world, including the Le Mans 24 hours and Nurburgring 24 hour, and in some of the most demanding categories in motorsport, such as GP3 and the Blancpain Endurance Series.

The GT Academy is a driver discovery/development program started in 2008 through a collaboration between Gran Turismo and Nissan. Online qualifiers are held within Gran Turismo, and the top qualifiers are invited to National Finals in each participating country. Those who pass this final will then participate in a Race Camp held at Silverstone, UK, for the final selection. The final winner will undergo an intensive Driver Development Program designed by Nissan, and will participate in races around the world as a professional driver.

Now in its sixth year, GT Academy includes separate competitions for Europe (France, Italy, UK, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia, Sweden, Poland and Czech Republic), Germany, North America (USA and Canada) and a new International group (Australia, India, Middle East, Mexico and Thailand).

The GT Academy qualification round will be part of a free Gran Turismo®6 update on PlayStation®3 (terms and conditions apply).

The fastest gamers in each participating territory gain access to their region's National Final event. A number of competitors can also gain access via a series of Live Gran Turismo® events organized locally, and via a Facebook game entry mechanism that leads to a special Gran Turismi®6 qualifying event. The National Finals add driving, fitness and a media element to the gaming.

From National Finals, the action moves to Silverstone for the legendary Race Camp, where the competitors are put through their paces on track in Nissan sports cars under the watchful eyes of high profile judges and mentors. One winner from each competition will be invited to take part in the intensive Driver Development Program. They could qualify for an international race license and race for Nissan at the Dubai 24 Hours in January 2015, before potentially joining Nissan's elite NISMO Athletes.

Previous winners of GT Academy are now regular racing drivers: In 2014, Jann Mardenborough (UK, winner in 2011) will be racing in GP3, a feeder series to Formula One, with the championship-winning Arden International team.

Lucas Ordoñez (Spain, winner in 2008) raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours this year in the innovative Nisan ZEOD RC, alongside Wolfgang Reip (Belgium, winner in 2012). In 2013, Lucas won the Pro-Am Drivers Championship in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

The 2013 Champions, Stanislav Aksenov (Russia), Miguel Faísca (Europe), Nick McMillen (USA) and Florian Strauss (Germany) are competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series with the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN.

About Nissan North AmericaIn North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, and 2012 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com. For information on Nissan's commercial vehicle lineup, visit NissanCommercialVehicles.com.

About Nissan Motor Corporation Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 236,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.